Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-05-22-Speech-2-240"
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"en.20070522.25.2-240"2
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".
Madam President, Commissioner, honourable Members, recent days have seen a disturbing increase in violence in the Middle East, where conflict between Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip has cost over 50 people their lives.
However sceptical we may be, we must not, despite the slowness of the progress made, sink into a state of resignation. Over recent months, the European Union has become more aware of the role into which it has grown. We are willing to do justice to the greater responsibility which consequently devolves upon us.
It is also from the Gaza Strip that over 150 Kassam missiles have been fired at Israeli towns over the past week, killing one Israeli woman yesterday evening. Israeli military action has already cost the lives of over 30 Palestinians, and the situation threatens to escalate still further. The cease fire in the Gaza Strip, agreed by the Palestinians and the Israelis in November is becoming visibly more fragile, and the inter-Palestinian reconciliation achieved in Mecca with Saudi help is at risk.
The Mecca agreement had its part to play in bringing rule by Hamas alone to an end. Since 18 March, Palestine has been ruled by a new government of national unity, enjoying the support and confidence of 83 out of 86 members of parliament – an overwhelming majority including all those belonging to Hamas and Fatah. There is still, however, broad consensus in the international community to the effect that the Palestinian Government has not yet quite passed its decisive test, in that it, too, does not completely meet the Quartet’s three criteria.
Despite this, the European Union has maintained its humanitarian aid for the Palestinians. I want to press home the point that the EUR 300 million given by the European Union amounts to more than that given in all previous years.
The Quartet’s criteria do however, remain the basis on which a decision on any complete normalisation of our relations with the Palestinians will be taken: they require recognition of the State of Israel’s right to exist and of the existing agreements between Israel and the PLO, as well as a general renunciation of violence, which, in particular, has to date been significantly lacking. Particularly at the present time, we expect the Palestinian Government to take effective action to end the bombardment and to release the captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
The European Union has also seized the opportunity presented by the end of sole Hamas rule to make a fresh start in Middle East policy, and the foreign ministers have resumed contact with the Cabinet members who accept the Quartet criteria. It follows that President Abbas deserves our full support. The EU is in close contact with Mr Fayyad, the minister of finance, and is helping him establish transparent institutions and machinery in the financial sphere, for we all want to see the country’s financial and economic position improve, and the release by Israel of the customs and tax repayments it has retained – which the European Union has called for on repeated occasions – would help to achieve that.
For some months now, the Presidency has been pushing for the revival of the Middle East Quartet and for greater involvement of the Arab partners who take a constructive line. Having enjoyed initial successes, our particular concern is now that the momentum achieved be maintained, and what this means for us is that we have to apply ourselves with still greater dedication to helping to get all interested parties to make a determined contribution to the Middle Eastern peace process.
The bilateral meetings between President Abbas and Prime Minister Olmert have as yet yielded no tangible successes, and something must be done about this. There must be marked improvements in access and mobility for the Palestinians, and the Israelis must at last get round to doing what they have undertaken to do. I note a failure on the part of the Palestinians to actually make the renunciation of violence happen, and also a lack of commitment to the release of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
The Arab League has reinforced the peace initiative of March 2002, and this has been due primarily to the commitment by the Saudis. The last Council meeting on 14 May saw an initial, and successful, meeting of the Arab League with the European Union, which occurred at our invitation; the League has also had further talks with the Quartet and with Israel as well, and, while this involvement cannot be a substitute for bilateral negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis, the peace initiative can create a favourable environment for them, although this will require further support by the European Union in particular, and our Presidency is working to bring about another meeting of the Quartet within the next few days."@en1
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